Darkness Falls
by Kayleigh-talitha
Summary: The Techno's strike back hard, their main goal to destroy everything that stands in their way. Though instead of deleting Sheriff Lex, they found a way to break him once and for all.
1. Default Chapter

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any of the characters or sets of The Tribe, they are owned by Cloud 9 ™. I'm not making any form of profit out of this story, I only try to entertain.

**Setting:** this takes place in Season 4, right before Ram is taken down, Pride is killed and Salene kidnapped.

**Warnings**: this story deals with adult subjects, though not described in details. If you're under the age of sixteen, I advice you not to read or ask an older person to be present. This story will also deal with some language, earning the rating R.

**Chapter 1**

Pride whistled softly to himself, as he made his way to the showers. The tall dark-haired boy was carrying a towel and some soap, as he crossed the centre of the mall, where the dried up fountain was. It was quiet in the mall, not even Mouse was darting around, playing games with Sammy.

He knew they were all in the kitchen, cooking dinner with Siva and Salene, pancakes or something if he remembered correctly. He needed to clean himself, he was sweaty after playing the Game, and the other couldn't know he played again.

So he was surprised to walk into the joined showers to hear one running already, the room was filled with steam. The girls always locked the door if they took one, so that left him wondering who was there, and if he should take a peek or not.

"Hello? Who's there?"

There came no response. The kids probably had played pranks, letting the shower run. He would have a talk with them about that later. Water was too precious to be played with. They were lucky to be even able to shower. Sighing he kicked out his shoes, dropping the towel on one of the plastic chairs, blinking when he realised there were clothes there already.

Reaching out he took the shirt and unfolded it, recognising it as one of Lex. Strange, normally the moody man would have shouted something rude already. The shirt was dirty he noted and when he looked at the pants his eyes narrowed. _Was that blood? _He took the dark pants in his left hand, while touching the stain with his right, and was startled to see his hand indeed came away with blood.

"Lex?"

Alarmed he dropped the clothes, glancing to the showers. He wondered briefly if he should enter or not, knowing Lex and his tempers. The young man could be really hot-headed, but if he was injured....Besides, the dark haired man wasn't answering. Cautiously he moved over to the shower area, his bare feet barely making a sound on the cold tiles. The sight that greeted him shocked him, and he stood frozen at his spot as he stared wide eyed.

The naked form of the former sheriff sat huddled on the wet tiles, his arms wrapped around his knees and his face buried in between, his long black hair a mop of wet tangles. Pride could see bruises starting to form on various places, some dark and ugly looking. A small stream of blood ran from him to the gutter, and it was hard to see where it was coming from.

"God Lex, what are you doing?"

He took a few steps closer, even more startled to see the slim body tense. Not minding his own clothes he reached out to stop the steady stream of water, winching when he felt the bitter cold. The steam flogging in here must have been from previous showers.

"Let's get you dry and warm," he murmured, switching to a more gentle tone, as if he were speaking to a child. Though when he tried to touch the shivering Lex, he shied away, closer to the wall, a small mewl escaping him. Startled Pride took a step back. _Okay, maybe that hadn't been a good act, but how was he going to get Lex out of the shower?_ He had no idea what had happened, and he was intent on finding out.

"Amber!" he yelled out, hoping the blonde woman would be able to hear him and come here. She knew where he was, so that wouldn't be a problem. She was one of the few that had a way with Lex, besides Tai-San, but the Asian wife of Lex was gone, kidnapped by the Techno's. Ignoring the tremor's wracking the nude body; he hoisted Lex up rather forcefully, feeling guilty when the young man ducked his head even more.

"Pride, what's wrong, what are you........God!"

Amber walked in, only to find her friend holding a naked Lex up and she wasn't sure what to make of this all. Though when she spotted the blood on the tiles her big brown eyes filled with worry. She knew Pride wouldn't harm another living being.

"I found him sitting under a cold shower for I don't know how long. He's not responding to me and I don't know where the blood is coming from," Pride explained, worried, because he could feel the coldness emanating from the shivering man. His dark eyes glanced sideways to Amber who looked at Lex with sympathy and what he thought seemed to be anger.

"What?"

She shook her head, spotting Pride's towel and taking it. She ignored the nudity as she enveloped Lex into the towel. He didn't have anything what she hadn't seen before. He was slimmer than she had expected though. Making soothing noises she coaxed the black haired man into her arms, patting his wet hair when he embraced her. Fleetingly she mused how small he was as well. His dominant nature always had made up for his shortness, but not this time. Pride was still looking at her questionably.

"I know where he's bleeding from, check his backside."

It took a moment before it sank in with Pride, as he involuntarily looked down. _Oh God_...He shook his head in shock, his black dread locks moving along with the motion. Of all the people, this had happened to one of the proudest men he knew. Bruises and scratches adorned his thighs and cheeks, finger like marks on the slim hips. Rape, an act that he despised more then anything. Who would do such a thing, why...? He just couldn't understand as he looked at Amber with horror.

"Could you tell the others? I'm going to take him to his room."

He nodded, knowing it was better if she stayed with Lex, since she was a woman. But how was he going to tell the others? They were going to take it hard, and the little ones, they shouldn't know. Deep in thought he left Amber to tend to the deeply hurt young man, taking the stairs slowly, his legs feeling heavier then ever.


	2. Chapter 2

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Chapter 2 

"C'mon honey, let's get you warm and dry."

Amber talked softly and gently to the shivering man in her arms, running her hands through his hair full of tangles. It was difficult, to push away her anger, not towards Lex, but towards the man that had done this to her friend. She never had been the bests of pals with the sheriff, but they had come to some sort of peace offer. Lex had never let her in, always pushing her away, trying to distract her with his bad-ass attitude and blunt remarks. But when she found out he couldn't read and write, she knew there was more to it, and that deep down he was just an insecure boy.

Zandra had managed to capture his heart, but never his soul, that gift was for Tai-San, who knew him better then anybody. And they were both gone…..Zandra had been killed, while his former wife Tai-San was kidnapped by the Techno's. Now there was Siva, former Techno herself, who seemed to know this mysterious man a little more as well. Though she had always considered Lex a true ….."

The soft whimper coming from the subject of her thoughts made her blink, though relieved to get some sort of reaction from him. His stillness was more scary then anything. She was afraid of what was going to come though. _How was he going to handle this?_

"I know, you're freezing. I'll take you to your room now, okay?"

There was a soft nod with his head, almost not noticeable if she hadn't been paying attention. It seemed like that was the only word Lex was going to say for now, and she couldn't blame him either. There was nothing left to say now that they both knew what happened. She didn't want to hear the gruesome details, only who had done it so that the guy would be punished. Nobody was going to get away with this.

The large towel was wrapped around the shivering form tightly, as she lead him up the stairs, glad the rest of the tribe were in the kitchen, where Pride was telling them the bad news. It didn't take long before Siva came running towards them, a worried look on her face, tears in her eyes when she took in the state of her boyfriend. Lex flinched when Siva touched him, before realising it was Siva and not the one who attacked him.

"Lex! Oh god, I'm here baby, nobody's going to hurt you anymore."

Amber shared a look with the sister of Ebony, letting go of Lex so she could go back to the kitchen. He was in good hands now, Siva knew how to handle somebody injured and more importantly, she knew how to handle Lex. Watching as the couple slowly walked to their bedroom, she bit her bottom lip, her eyes flashing. With a sigh she walked to the kitchen, hearing the outraged reactions all the way in the hall. They didn't even notice her coming in, so absorbed they were in what had happened.

"Patch, can you check him over?"

The Mallrats stilled when Amber said that loud enough for the boy in question to hear. The newest addition to the tribe nodded, quickly standing up and left quietly. They didn't have a docter, but he was as close as they had to it. He was running the hospital after all.

"How is he?" Salene asked, the one question they all wanted to know. The redhead was shocked when Pride came telling the news Lex had been attacked in a way not even he deserved. Now more then ever she hated being City leader, even if she did it to spy on the Techno's. She had pulled Mouse close to her, even though the young girl didn't even knew what rape was.

"I don't know, he's really quiet. He's so unlike himself that it scares me. It's like looking at a broken toy and you wonder if it ever can be fixed again.."

She ran a hand through her Zulu knots as she settled on the chair Patch had been sitting on, taking Bray from Trudy, hugging her baby close to her. Everybody was quiet, even the little kids, all thinking their own things. Somebody had finally done it, somebody managed to break the proudest person they all knew and they were all thinking the same thing; could that break be mended?


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note:** Thank you for all the wonderful reviews.

"Is Lex okay?"

Salene, Amber and Pride looked up startled, when Jay rudely interrupted their conversation by running into the kitchen, asking that question. The three Mallrats shared a look before turning to the Techno who stood there panting from his long run.

"Why do you ask Jay?"

Amber did her best to look puzzled, while all she could think about was how he knew. If the Techno's were behind this… Then what? The fear would only grow amongst the kids in the city, and what could they do against them? The blonde Techno looked relieved.

"So he's okay? Word on the street said he was attacked and he was in a bad way."

Salene frowned in anger, unable to act like nothing happened like Amber did. She never had been good in pretending and one look at Pride's angry face told her enough. It disgusted her to hear it was being talked about so openly.

"He IS in a bad way. Somebody did attack him and will pay for what he did."

Jay looked at the redhead in surprise to hear that much venom in her voice. She was always such a gentle motherly person and she never cared much for Lex, none of them did. He'd been part of the tribe for a long time, or so Amber told him, but had always been the black sheep.

"What happened?"

Why were they looking at him so hostile, like it was his fault to begin with? He'd come a long way to earn their trust, and now it looked like it had been all for nothing. He only stayed with the Techno's so he could spy for the Resistance. Finally Pride answered his question.

"I found him in the showers. I don't think there's anything wrong physically but mentally…."

Pride's voice trailed of, leaving Jay only more confused. He'd been attacked and was in a bad way but there wasn't anything wrong with him physically?

"He was sexually abused."

Amber couldn't say the word rape, it was too cold, too harsh, too real. It wasn't anything they had to deal with before and this was Lex they were talking about.

Shock formed on the Techno's face, similar like how the others had reacted. Shock, and then, not too long after, anger. Amber watched it closely, glad Jay felt as repulsed as them all, and relieved he had no part in it.

"Who…?"

Yeah, that was the main question, who had done it? The why they could all guess. Lex had never been loved and had many enemies. Not many of them would stoop so low though. Patch had said rape wasn't always about sex, it could be about power. The power to hurt and control the victim. And Lex, being the dominant one, would take it hard. Any of them would. Amber sighed deeply, again.

"We don't know but we're planning on finding out. Are you with us?"

Jay nodded quickly to Amber. Of course he was with them, all the way. The one who did it wasn't going to get away with it. He had a feeling though it had been done with a purpose.

"Good, Jay can you see what the Techno's know? Then we'll be informing on the streets, shouldn't be too hard if they're talking already."

Salene and Pride nodded in agreement to Amber's suggestion. Patch and Siva should stay with Lex, Dee with the children, while the rest of them were gathering information.

"Lex, honey, talk to me. Please, say something."

Siva's plea fell on deaf ears, her wounded lover didn't even blink. It scared her to see him like this and she didn't know what to do. The only thing she could do was hold him and whisper soothing words while he shivered under his blanket, staring into the room without seeing.

She felt sorry for him and so damned helpless. Patch had looked him over gently and as quickly as he could, trying hard not to distress his friend even more. As they all had thought, physically there wasn't much wrong with him, besides the bruises, scratches and minor blood loss. Siva sighed deeply, trying to keep her tears at bay. Was she ever going to get her boyfriend back?


	4. Chapter 4

* * *

**Chapter 4 **

Jay didn't know who could be responsible for this, not with the Techno's. The only one he could think of was Ram, but he'd never do it, too afraid of lurking viruses or other diseases. And what if the Techno's were responsible? There wasn't much the Mallrats could do about it, they were powerless against such a large group.

The blonde haired Techno commander entered the computer room of Ram's headquarters, knowing that was where his boss would be. Of course, there he was, giving orders from his mechanic wheelchair, hand flying wildly and impatient. His dark eyes lit up when he saw Jay standing near the doorway, looking angry and determined.

"Jay! What can I do for you?"

Jay had the urge to roll his eyes at Ram's cheerfulness. The man had more mood swings than a girl with PMS. He wasted no time in beating around the bush. He was the kind of person to get right down to it immediately.

"Lex was injured badly."

Ram showed genuine surprise but smiled too with a shrug. It was no secret the Techno Lord hated the Sheriff.

"And this should interest me…..why?"

Ram was playing a game and they both knew it, to irritate Jay and it was working too. He hated games, especially now, especially after what had happened.

"I want to know who did it."

The Techno Leader mockingly sighed, placing his hand over his heart like those words actually hurt.

"And you think I had something to do with it? Really Jay, you're hurting my feelings. I don't care about that Virt and if I wanted to hurt him, he'd be dead by now. Anything else?"

"I want to find out who did it."

And that did not surprise Ram at all, if somebody was always trying to do the right thing, it was the one standing in front of him with a serious face. It was one of the reasons why he never included Jay in any of his plans that weren't always that…..fair.

"Jay, Jay, Jay, you care too much about these Virts. But, if you want to waste your time, go ahead."

To Jay it was anything but a waste of time. The Virts deserved a good life and every crime needed to be punished. But Ram was in a good mood so it was best not to irritate him, too much.

"I will. This will show them we do care and keep things quiet."

The Techno leader gave him a sceptical look, knowing Jay was only trying to please him with that answer, but let it slide, it didn't matter. This would keep the blonde commander occupied so he could plan some more with Ved.

* * *

**At the Mall.**

He felt dirty, used and wanted noting more then crawl back under the shower. Not that he could, Siva was with him constantly, watching him like a hawk. She just left to get him some food, not that he was hungry.

With a disgusted sigh Lex watched himself in the mirror, he couldn't believe he once thought of himself as attractive. He was ugly, couldn't the others see that? He had deserved what happened, he had asked for it with his long hair, looking like a girl. He pulled hard on the long black strands, staring at the few hairs in his hand and he knew what to do.

Siva hoped her boyfriend would eat the bowl of chicken soup she carried, though she doubted it. He was shutting himself off from everybody, even her, he hadn't said a word to her and it worried her, to see him like this. So unnaturally quiet, no anger, no irritation, nothing. Not expecting Lex to be up she didn't knock on the doorpost and walked right into the bedroom they shared, only to almost drop the plate in shock.

"Lex?"

Hesitantly she set the plate down on a chair, staring at her boyfriend. Long black strands of hair littered the floor around him while he was furiously cutting away his hair with his small pocket-knife. It was sticking out on odd angles. Siva was simply speechless, what was he doing to his beautiful hair, to himself?

He wasn't responding though, a far away look in his eyes, the emptiness she was so scared off. She'd give anything to see something in it, some flicker of emotion but she knew it took time and she could only wait.

"Come here, I'll make it look a bit decent."

She gently took away his knife, snapping it shut and placing it in her own pocket, better keep it away from him right now. He hardly put up any resistance and quietly sat there while she fashioned his butchery into something more akin to a haircut with the pair of scissors she had retrieved from her own drawer. It turned out to be short and spiky, some of the strands falling in his face to reach his eyebrows. It looked good on him, but then, anything looked good on him.

'There you go, see, not bad at all babe, you should have done that sooner!"

Siva sighed quietly, who was she kidding? It looked different, he was different. It made him look older and it just wasn't Lex anymore, it was some strange silent boy she didn't know. Silently she helped him back into bed after he had refused to eat. Maybe some rest would make it easier for the both of them, maybe tomorrow he'd be more lucid. And maybe he'd be Lex again.


End file.
